{"product_id":"graded-2023-topps-bowman-draft-paul-skenes-bd14-rookie-rc-baseball-card-psa-10-gem-mint","title":"Graded 2023 Topps Bowman Draft Paul Skenes #BD14 Rookie RC Baseball Card PSA 10 Gem Mint","description":"\u003cp\u003e⚾ \u003cstrong\u003eGraded 2023 Topps Bowman Draft Paul Skenes #BD14 Rookie RC Baseball Card PSA 10 Gem Mint – The PSA 10 Gem Mint Graded 2023 Topps Bowman Draft Debut Card of Paul Skenes, Card Number BD14, Representing the First Professional Baseball Card Ever Issued of the Pittsburgh Pirates Starting Pitcher Who Was Selected 1st Overall in the 2023 MLB Draft and Entered Professional Baseball as One of the Most Unanimously Evaluated Elite Pitching Prospects in the History of the Draft Process\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e⚾ The Topps Bowman Draft product captures players immediately after the draft selection – the period between the pick and the first professional pitch, when the evaluation is at its highest and the professional track record is zero. Card number BD14 is Paul Skenes's slot in the 2023 Bowman Draft set. This is his first professional card. Not a card from his first professional season. Not a card from his MLB debut in Pittsburgh. This card was produced before he had thrown a single pitch in a professional uniform – the Bowman Draft issue that captures the moment of his selection as the 1st overall pick, before the career that the draft evaluation was projecting had begun. ⚾\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e⚾ Skenes grew up in Fullerton, California, and came to the 2023 college baseball conversation through an unusual path – he spent time at the Air Force Academy before transferring to Louisiana State University. At LSU under Jay Johnson, he became the most dominant college pitcher in the country. He finished the 2023 season with a 1.69 ERA and 209 strikeouts in 122.2 innings, led the Tigers to the College World Series championship, and won the Golden Spikes Award as the top player in college baseball. Every radar gun and every evaluation service in the amateur space pointed in the same direction. 🏆\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e⚾ The Pittsburgh Pirates selected him 1st overall on July 9, 2023. The 2023 Topps Bowman Draft set was produced in that window, locking in his image and his identity as the first overall pick before the professional chapter had produced any results. When he debuted in the major leagues on May 11, 2024, the card that had been produced before that debut became the artifact of the before – the piece that exists at the precise moment between college legend and professional unknown. PSA 10 Gem Mint certifies this first card at the top of the grading scale. ⚾\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e⚾ Paul Skenes. Pittsburgh Pirates. Starting Pitcher. Louisiana State University. Air Force Academy. 2023 MLB Draft, 1st Overall Pick. 2023 College World Series Champion. 2023 Golden Spikes Award. 2023 Topps Bowman Draft. Card Number BD14. First Professional Card. PSA 10 Gem Mint. Collectible Trading Card. Hall of Fame Sports. Condition: NOS.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e⚾ Graded 2023 Topps Bowman Draft Paul Skenes #BD14 Rookie RC Baseball Card PSA 10 Gem Mint. Hall of Fame Sports. Condition: NOS.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Hall of Fame Sports Memorabilia","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48039713997032,"sku":"2023-TBD-PS-BD14-PSA-10","price":248.5,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0597\/2718\/4037\/files\/graded-2023-topps-bowman-draft-paul-skenes-bd14-rookie-rc-baseball-card-psa-10-gem-mint-116.webp?v=1770821595","url":"https:\/\/vintageantiquesgifts.com\/products\/graded-2023-topps-bowman-draft-paul-skenes-bd14-rookie-rc-baseball-card-psa-10-gem-mint","provider":"Vintage and Antique Gifts","version":"1.0","type":"link"}